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Report: Team Ninja working on PlayStation 4 game after Yaiba
Ninja Gaiden developer Team Ninja will shift its development focus to an unnamed PlayStation 4 game after shipping its current project, Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z, according to a Dengeki Online report (via Gematsu). "First, we will release Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z for PS3 and Xbox 360, which we joint-developed with the Inafune-led company Comcept," Team Ninja studio head Yosuke Hayashi said, translated by Gematsu. "Additionally, we're also developing a PlayStation 4 title internally, so please look forward to future updates." No further details regarding the team's coming PS4 project were revealed. Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z is scheduled to launch for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PC on March 18 in North America. [Image: Tecmo Koei]
Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z's classic side-scrolling mode spotted in new trailer, screens
Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z will receive a special Ninja Gaiden Z mode, Team Ninja announced. The retro-inspired mode offers side-scrolling action similar to past games in the series along with 8-bit-style cut scenes and menus. In addition to the trailer and screens showing off the classic game mode, the developer issued an additional quirky parody trailer, seen after the break. What's more, Team Ninja noted that the game's main character Yaiba will receive a downloadable alternate costume thanks to a collaboration with Comcept. Players will have the ability to dress their ninja warrior up like Beck, the lead character of Keiji Inafune's Mighty No. 9. Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z is slated to launch on March 4, 2014 for PC, Xbox 360 and PS3.
Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate confirmed for Xbox 360, PS3 this fall
Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate is officially heading to Xbox 360 and PS3 this fall as a retail and digital game. This version of Dead or Alive 5 is so Ultimate because it includes modes from the Vita's Dead or Alive 5 Plus, new stages, new fighters and cameos from Ninja Gaiden – including levels such as Sky City Tokyo and the character Momiji, as was rumored earlier this week. "The largest lineup in DOA history includes the first ever appearance of Ninja Gaiden's Momiji, who utilizes the Hayabusa-style Aikijutsu taught to her by the master himself, Ryu Hayabusa," the Ultimate press release reads. Said lineup also appears to include the return of Leon, a fighter who debuted in Dead or Alive 2.%Gallery-187919%
Ninja Gaiden infiltrates the 3DS eShop next week
Retro gaming fans can snag the original Ninja Gaiden on the 3DS next week, according to a Virtual Console listing on the eShop right now. The listing gives it a price of $4.99 and a December 6 launch date, though Ninja Gaiden was originally slated to launch on the 3DS Virtual Console back in November.The latest installment in the series, Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor's Edge, just launched on the Wii U. Our review notes its many improvements over the lackluster original release.
Ninja Gaiden attacks smartphones in Japan
Ryu Hayabusa is embarking on his second touchscreen murder spree (after Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword), in an iOS/Android game for Mobage. Ninja Gaiden for One Million People (rough translation) has players swipe for sword attacks and tap the screen to throw shurikens, in order to beat various giant monsters and robots.Ninja Gaiden for One Million People is also a card-based game, allowing you to collect virtual cards featuring Ryu, Ayane, and the other familiar Ninja Gaiden characters, along with newly designed ninja characters. Being a Mobage-published game, it's so far only announced for Japan; we're asking Tecmo Koei when our chance to frantically swipe our phones will arrive.
See Ninja Gaiden 3's new DLC weapons in action
Ryu Hayabusa could probably kill demons with a toothbrush if he wanted. If any of the new weapons in this DLC pack are indeed toothbrushes, we worry about those teeth.
Ninja Gaiden Sigma Plus screens have a delicate touch
When Ninja Gaiden Sigma Plus launches alongside the PlayStation Vita late next month, its trademark difficulty level will likely be responsible for hundred of broken handhelds. We recommend preparing yourself ahead of time by pantomime touching these screenshots and studying the Ninpo magic within.
Ninja Gaiden 3's 'Hero Mode' allows more players to experience the story
Ninja Gaiden 3 is Team Ninja's first full Gaiden game post-Itagaki, and it looks like things are progressing a little differently. For one thing, it's got a sort of easy mode called "Hero Mode," which adds automatic dodging and blocking of most normal attacks, to which I can imagine Itagaki's head shaking, making waves in a cloud of cigarette smoke. I asked director Fumihiko Yasuda (who also did design work on Sigma 2) about why such a ... friendly mode would appear in such a typically unfriendly series. "We really wanted to flesh out the story this time around," Yasuda said, "so we wanted people to enjoy that story and get used to the game as it is. In the past the games were really hardcore and we couldn't get players to stay with us and complete the game." Team Ninja is "redefining" Hayabusa's image, and wants people to experience that whole story without dying over and over again or throwing the game into the disposal in frustration.
Hayashi: Ninja Gaiden 3's dismemberment-free gameplay adds meaning to the violence
Ninja Gaiden 3 won't feature the frequent decapitations and other freeform dismemberment of its predecessors. You may think of this as softening the impact of the violence in Team Ninja's famously brutal series, but it's intended to be quite the opposite. In fact, if anything, Team Ninja lead Yosuke Hayashi made it sound even more sadistic. "For Ninja Gaiden 3," Hayashi told me, "we wanted to focus on the act of cutting someone down, and what it's like to actually kill someone with a sword. Once you start lopping off limbs, your enemy goes from being a living thing that you're killing to just a thing." And to hammer the point home (or katana the point home, if you prefer) that these are real human beings you're flipping out and killing, he continued. "When you're actually cutting into a person, and you feel them getting scared, and the blood is spraying right on you, you hear their dying breaths in your ear -- that's the kind of visceral violence we're going for in Ninja Gaiden 3." In the demo level I played, by the way, the enemy soldiers start pleading for their lives as soon as you begin attacking them. At this point you might think, as I did, that you're going to start feeling guilty about cutting into all these bodies. That's ... kind of the idea. "Ryu Hayabusa is a dark hero," Hayashi explained. "If people want to take the easy way out or a cleaner way out -- not killing people -- that's not what the story is about and what Ryu Hayabusa is about. To be a dark hero, you have to do bad things in order to do good."%Gallery-133725%
New Ninja Gaiden 3 screens will cut you in half
The Japanese website for Ninja Gaiden 3 has emerged from the inky blackness of the internet, brandishing a finely honed blade and silently moving through the night, all the while tossing shurikens and newly forged screenshots into our cerebral cortexes.
Rumor: Ninja Gaiden 3 loses the store, may add Move support
Reports are coming in that the latest issue of PlayStation: The Official Magazine is full of new info about Ninja Gaiden 3. NeoGAFfer RatedRSuperstar summarized the article, noting a few salient points about the Team Ninja sequel. Reportedly, the difficulty level "won't be toned down for casual gamers," which means Team Ninja is making the game "more accessible" in a different way. In addition, it packs competitive and cooperative multiplayer, with at least one mode supporting up to eight players. There's also a possibility of Move support. The weapons store is gone, in favor of weapons that "upgrade over time." According to RatedRSuperstar, "Blood is back" as well. Having seen the purported scans, that's an understatement. Imagine a ninja covered in melted Twizzlers. [Thanks, Andreas!]
Utter madman beats Ninja Gaiden NES using DDR pad
Known deft-footed retro game enthusiast Nick Hagman is an expert at conquering classic titles using an unorthodox peripheral: A Dance Dance Revolution pad. However, his latest conquest is by far his life's greatest achievement: the ever-difficult NES gem Ninja Gaiden; as seen in this video.
Ninja Gaiden 3 announced
Tecmo Koei revealed Ninja Gaiden 3 during a behind-closed door event today (in conjunction with TGS), reports VideoGamer.com. The announcement was accompanied by a teaser image showing blood-soaked franchise protagonist Ryu Hayabusa removing his mask. According to VideoGamer, the image represents themes that will be explored in the new sequel: both the "human side" of Ryu and a "more violent and bloody experience" (if you can believe it). Neither platforms nor further release information was given. Shortly before E3 last year, Team Ninja boss Yosuke Hayashi talked up his studio's commitment to furthering the Ninja Gaiden series. Today's reveal is the first hard evidence of Ninja Gaiden 3 since that time. Update: GamePro confirms the reveal went down at a private event hosted by Team Ninja, and adds that Ninja Gaiden 3 "is so early in development, the developer only showed journalists a piece of concept art" (above; see a bigger version after the break).
Ninja Gaiden's ninja guy joining Super Mario Crossover
digg_url = 'http://www.joystiq.com/2010/05/26/ninja-gaidens-ninja-guy-joining-super-mario-crossover/'; Super Mario Crossover was already a miracle, faithfully dropping protagonists from Contra, Mega Man, Castlevania, Zelda and Metroid into Super Mario Bros. A teaser trailer (that's right, a trailer for a Flash game!) after the break heralds the arrival of another NES-era champion: the wall-climbing, statue-hunting ninja in the sleeveless uniform, Ninja Gaiden's Ryu Hayabusa. Ryu brings his wall-climbing ability from his NES games, as well as the shuriken and boomerang-style Windmill Shuriken weapons. Now we'll get to see how powerful Ryu can be in a game free of heat-seeking birds! Or, we'll get to see that whenever creator Jay Pavlina actually makes the new version of Crossover available.
Tecmo sees 'opportunity' in expanding audience, pursuing women
Speaking to Edge, Tecmo's Quantum Theory development team had a few things to say about the Japanese game market, expanding its audience and, of course, Quantum Theory. According to producer Yasuo Egawa, the Japanese game market is shrinking, though the global gaming audience is expanding. "We've been trying to target customers who haven't bought Tecmo games before," says Egawa, "specifically women." Given Tecmo's offerings over the last few years, it's hard not to find that just a little hilarious. Regarding Quantum Theory itself, the company sees the game as its "third pillar" alongside Ninja Gaiden and Dead or Alive. Character designer Hiroyuki Yazaki notes that Quantum Theory is a departure from other shooters thanks to its AI-controlled female sidekick, Filena. Yazaki states that most shooters are "full of men; big, sweaty men," which lead Tecmo to design a "softer character" for the game. Yazaki adds, "We're Tecmo – we're good at female characters!" Again, just a little hilarious.
Xbox 360 Platinum Hits lineup adds Halo Wars, Orange Box and others
Xbox.com has listed several new games as Platinum Hits, including Fable II (aka Game of the Year Edition), Halo Wars, Left 4 Dead, The Orange Box, Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts, Ninja Gaiden II, Kung-Fu Panda, Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection, Sonic The Hedgehog, and Sonic Unleashed. A Microsoft PR agent couldn't confirm the full list of new Platinum Hits (are we missing any above?), but said that if a game is listed as such on Xbox.com, it's a Platinum Hits title. The changes seem to have taken effect on major retailer sites, as GameStop and Amazon now reflect the discounted Platinum prices (if not always the the Platinum Hits branding), which range from $20–30. With Orange Box requiring only one Jackson ($20), it's now literally a crime to not own it. Conversely, if you're dead-set on committing a crime, buy someone Sonic The Hedgehog or Sonic Unleashed at $20 each. [Thanks, Stephen]
More Dynasty Warriors Strikeforce media than you can shake a Dragon Sword at
If you only play games with Ryu Hayabusa in them, then Dynasty Warriors: Strikeforce is likely to be your first experience with Koei's historical-ish brawler franchise. If you only play games with the ancient Chinese ruler Fu Xi in them, however, you're likely to be much better versed in the series. In either case, there's a Strikeforce for you: as reported, Fu Xi (and other characters from the Warriors Orochi series) appear in the Xbox 360 version, and Ryu in the PS3 version, both with exclusive missions that grant you the use of their "signature weapon" when completed. New galleries give you a look at Fu Xi and the extra-beefy crossover ninja. And a new trailer (above) does what it can to get you pumped about Strikeforce, the Dynasty Warriors game with not only characters from other franchises, but giant tigers in it! %Gallery-81768% %Gallery-81766%
VC in Brief: Super Smash Bros. (N64) and Ninja Gaiden (Arcade)
What a day for Virtual Console fans. For one, we've got the ultra-aggressive coin-op classic, Ninja Gaiden, to check out. Then, on top of that, the game that spawned one of Nintendo's most beloved franchises: Super Smash Bros. for the N64. If that doesn't put a smile on your face, then you just may be one of the most depressed people on Earth. We suggest consulting a doctor. Super Smash Bros. (N64, 1-4 players, 1,000 Wii Points) Ninja Gaiden (Arcade, 1-2 players, 600 Wii Points) Every week, we like to check out what's new on the Virtual Console. We offer these videos as a sort of taste to help you decide whether or not you would want the game in question. We also toss in our own two cents because we're pushy jerks like that.
NintendoWare Weekly: Super Smash Bros., Ninja Gaiden, Dragon's Lair
Nintendo announced its 500th downloadable Wii game today, reserving the honor for Super Smash Bros. Or, we suppose, for any of the other Virtual Console or WiiWare games released today. But Nintendo says it's Super Smash Bros., and that certainly seems like a more special way to celebrate a milestone than, say, the arcade version of Ninja Gaiden. See all the WiiWare, Virtual Console, and DSiWare releases after the break.
European Nintendo downloads: My Zoo, Ninja Gaiden, Rock N' Roll Climber
Today, on the European Wii Shop, Hudson follows up its surprisingly successful My Aquarium with more animals to take care of. Also on WiiWare, Nintendo's still-weird Balance Board-equipped Rock N' Roll Climber, whose rock-climbing/air-guitar concept, and whose non-standard apostrophe use we'll never get used to. The big draw for us is the arcade brawler version of Ninja Gaiden, which seems fresh to us after 20 years of dodging eagles in the NES game. My Zoo (WiiWare, 1 player, 500 Wii Points) Rock N' Roll Climber (WiiWare, 1 player, 800 Wii Points) Ninja Gaiden (Arcade, 1 player, 800 Wii Points) A Little Bit Of .... Nintendo Touch Golf (DSiWare, 800 DSi Points)
